Unit EQ: Why is it important for you to be digitally literate?
LEQ: What details can I look for on a webpage when I'm evaluating it?
Activating Strategies:
Redistribute "Fact or Fiction" sheets that were collected 2 days ago. Briefly go over them, explaining that each is a hoax (fiction) site. Explain that they are going to make a list (as a class) of details that they can look for on a webpage to determine if it's fictional or factual.
Acceleration/Previewing/Vocabulary:
Briefly discuss what a domain name is (from yesterday)
Teaching Strategies and Distributed Guided Practice/Summarizing Prompts:
Select one of the hoax websites. Visit the page and model a few of the things that you would look at if you were trying to determine if the site is fact or fiction (URL, pictures, page labels, etc.).
Have students select a hoax site and do the same. Now that they know the site is a hoax, is there anything that notice that would have told them that before? Students can work in pairs to examine hoax sites and develop a list of general details to search for when evaluating websites.
Ask students to share lists with the class. Create a class list of "details to look for". Details might include:
URL
Pictures--usefulness and relevance
Page headings and subheadings--are there any? Do they help?
Did the author sign his/her name?
Did the author provide contact information?--e-mail address?
Is there a date listed on the page?
Is the page easy to navigate? Is there a menu?
Are there links to other reliable sites?
Does it sound like the author is offering facts or opinions?
Are there bibliographical links listed?
Students visit 4 websites about global warming (links saved in Moodle). Their job is to use the class list of "details to look for" to rank these sites' usefulness and accuracy. Students can work in pairs to do this.
Summarizing Strategies:
Students share website rankings (and reasoning) with the rest of class. Keep track of the rankings on the board or computer so that you can compare their responses in the end. Will they all rank the sites in the same order?
Redistribute "Fact or Fiction" sheets that were collected 2 days ago. Briefly go over them, explaining that each is a hoax (fiction) site. Explain that they are going to make a list (as a class) of details that they can look for on a webpage to determine if it's fictional or factual.
Briefly discuss what a domain name is (from yesterday)
Students share website rankings (and reasoning) with the rest of class. Keep track of the rankings on the board or computer so that you can compare their responses in the end. Will they all rank the sites in the same order?